Intruder repeller and burglar alarm

ABSTRACT

A combination intruder repeller and audible burglar alarm for fixed mounting relative to a swinging closure means, such as a door or swinging window, through which an intruder may gain unlawful entry. The device comprises a housing for the reception of a gas cartridge to be mounted relative to a swinging house closure means, and a burglar alarm and trip means attached between the closure means and the gas cartridge and burglar alarm whereby both are simultaneously activated when the closure means is opened.

United States Patent [191 Reed [ Apr. 23, 1974 INTRUDER REPELLER AND BURGLAR ALARM [76] Inventor: Walter Reed, 424 Curtis Pky.,

Miami Springs, Fla. 33166 [22] Filed: Oct. 4, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 294,789

3,185,127 5/1965 Chedister 116/86 3,299,960 l/1967 Stern 116/112 UX 3,325,800 6/1967 Messick 340/297 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 338,382 ll/l959 Switzerland 116/67 Primary Examiner-Louis J. Capozi 5 7] ABSTRACT A combination intruder repeller and audible burglar alarm for fixed mounting relative to a swinging closure means, such as a door or swinging window, through which an intruder may gain unlawful entry, The device comprises a housing for the reception of a gas car- [56] References Cited tridge to be mounted relative to a swinging house clo- UNITED STATES PATENTS sure means, and a burglar alarm and trip means at- 378,317 2/1888 Iske 116/94 tached between the closure means and the gas car- 8.5 2 n s /9 tridge and burglar alarm whereby both are simulta- 1134,550 5/1916 McMahon 1 9 s 1H5"36 neously activated when the closure means is opened. 2,246,233 6/1941 Anderson.... 116/2 2,468,829 5/1949 La Porta 1 16/67 7 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures 1 INTRUDER REPELLER AND BURGLAR ALARM STATE OF THE PRIOR ART Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 3,322,078 to A. J. MacDonald discloses a combination repeller and alarm system which is mounted exterior of a house, in a box extending across the entire top portion of a window screen. By means of a quite complicated mechanical assembly, a pair of gas cartridges and an alarm are actuated when the screen is moved. This movement trips a latch which releases a prewound, spring-loaded rod, extending substantially across the length of the box. The resulting rotational movement of the rod imparts a like movement to a plurality of levers which actuate the gas cartridges and audible alarm.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,721,532 discloses a prowler alarm interconnected with a door by means of a fine wire or thread. Movement of the door releases a prewound, spring-loaded clapper mechanism which strikes a spiral spring gong.

Gas cartridge actuated air horn devices have been used to provide an audible signal when the doors of vending machines or the like are tampered with such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,451,369 to N. I. Leve and Leonard E. Raiffie. In general, this device and others of similar nature include means, connected to a door of the machine, which releases the compressed gas in the cartridge for passage through an air horn or the like to provide an audible signal when the door is opened in any manner by an unauthorized person.

BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT INVENTION The present invention provides a combination intruder repeller and audible alarm signal when an intruder attempts to gain unlawful entry to a private residence, office or the like. A housing containing a cartridge of compressed gas such as tear gas, mace, or colored dye or the like is mounted adjacent to an exterior opening, normally closed by a swinging door, window or the like. An audible alarm signal device is attached to the housing and both the gas cartridge and alarm device are provided with respective trigger means which are operably associated with one end of a flexible line. The second end of the flexible line is attached to the swinging closure means whereby movement from a closed to an open position causes simultaneous operation of the gas cartridge and the audible signal device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an elevational view, from the interior of a building structure, of an outside door having the combination intruder repeller and burglar alarm of the present invention connected thereto;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged elevational view of the device of the present invention with parts broken away to better illustrate the invention; and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the bottom portion of the device as viewed from the righthand side in FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS With reference to the drawings in which like reference numerals designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views and with particular reference to FIG. 1, the numeral generally indicates the intruder repeller and burglar alarm of the present invention, mounted to a wall 12 above the door frame 14 of a conventional door 16.

FIG. 1 illustrates a preferred application of the present invention but is not intended as a limitation of its uses. FIG. 2 illustrates a housing, indicated generally at 20, comprised of opposed side walls 22 and 24, top and bottom walls 26 and 28 and back wall 30. A removable front closure door 31 is illustrated in sliding engagement at opposite edges in opposed tracks 32 and 34 formed adjacent the outer edges of the side walls 22 and 24, however, any type of conventional door closure may be employed to achieve the maximum degree of convenience and aesthetic value.

Opposed flanges 36 and 38 project outwardly beyond the side walls 22 and 24, in a planar relation to the back wall, and provide holes 40 for the reception of conventional attachment means 42 (FIG. 1) to the wall 12.

The housing 20 provides an interior chamber 44 for the reception of a pressurized gas container 46 of a conventional type, including a depressible cap 48 providing a discharge nozzle 50; see, for example, the patent to Stern U.S. Pat. No. 3,299,960. A flexible tube 52, attached to the nozzle 50, is turned downwardly therefrom, extending through the chamber 44 to a point of attachment 54 to a semi-rigid tube 56 extending through the bottom wall 28 and projecting a predetermined distance downwardly therefrom.

A first trigger 58, pivotally attached at one transversely bifurcated end 60 in a slot 62 in the top wall 26; see FIG. 2, includes a downwardly extending, central projection 64, normally in kissing contact with the top wall of the depressible cap 48 of the pressurized gas container 46. The opposed end of the first trigger 58 is attached, as at 66, to the upper end portion 68 of a cable or wire 70 extending downwardly therefrom exteriorly of the side wall 24.

An audible alarm device, such as the bell 72, is fixed exteriorly of the bottom wall 28 by attachment means 74. A second trigger means 76 associated with the bell 72, is fixed at 78 to the cable or wire 70 intermediate its length. The alarm bell 72, illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, is of a commercially available type which includes a spring motor device which, when wound, is actuated by tripping the second trigger means 76, pivoted in the bottom extension 77; see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,721,532 earlier-mentioned.

The cable or wire 70 extends downwardly beyond the attachment 78 to the second trigger means 76, through an outwardly extending flange 80 from the bottom wall 28 and a guide bracket 82, to a point of attachment 84 to a flexible line 86 terminating in a hook means 88 at its lower distal end. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the hook 88 on the flexible line 86 is attached to a screw hook i 90, or the like, fixed to the door 16.. As illustrated, sufficient slack is provided in the line 86to permit the door to be opened a predetermined distance before the slack in the line 86 is taken up. Further inward movement of the door actuates the first trigger to depress the cap 48 to discharge the pressurized gas contents of the container 46 downwardly through the tubes 52 and 56 and to simultaneously trip the second trigger 76 to sound the alarm 72.

In operation, the device of the present invention is fixed to a wall relative to a swinging; closure means such as the door 16. The semi-rigid tube is directed to discharge the contents of the pressurized gas container 16 I directly toward an intruder when the door or the like is opened sufficiently to expose the intruder to the spray from the semi-rigid tube 56. Simultaneously, the audible alarm 72 is sounded to warn of the presence of the intruder.

The flexible line 86 may be removably attached to the cable or wire 70, at 84, by appropriate hook means, for example, to permit removal thereof during periods of deactivation of the device. Safety means may also be provided to remind occupants inside of the premises that the alarm and repellant system is activated. The safety means may take the form of an enlarged snap-on cover 94 for the door knob 96 which makes it impossible to obtain a grip thereon to open the door from the inside; thus one being apprized of the activated system, would first detach hook 88 from hook 90 to de-activate the system, and would then remove cover 94 so knob 96 is accessible to open the door 16.

What is claimed is:

1. An intruder repeller and burglar alarm device comprising in combination:

A. a housing mounted relative to a displacable closure means controlling an access through which an intruder may gain unlawful entry to a premises;

B. a pressurized gas cartridge, disposed in an interior chamber of said housing and including a discharge nozzle from a depressible cap, operable to discharge the pressurized gas in the cartridge;

C. separate, self-energized audible alarm means fixed to said housing;

D. a discharge tube, connected to said discharge nozzle, directed toward said access opening to spray an intruder with the contents of said cartridge when said swinging closure means is moved away from the access opening;

E. a first trigger means, associated with said depressible cap;

F. a second trigger means, associated with said audible alarm means;

G. connecting means operatively connected between said first and second trigger means and the displacable closure means whereby said first trigger means is actuated to depress said cap to discharge the pressurized gas and said second trigger means is simultaneously actuated to sound said alarm means when said closure means is moved from a closed to an open position relative to the access opening.

2. The device as defined in claim 1 wherein said first trigger means comprises a lever pivotally mounted at one end in a slot on said housing, over the depressible cap, including attachment means at a second end to a first portion of said connecting means, said lever including a downwardly extending projection, intermediate said ends, normally in operable position, relative to the top surface of said depressible cap whereby opening of the displacable closure pivots the lever and depresses the cap.

3. The device as defined in claim 2 wherein said second trigger means comprises a pivotal lever, mounted in said housing, including a first end in releasable engagement with said self-energized alarm means, said pivotal lever including a second end in operable engagement with said first portion of the connection means.

4. The device as defined in claim 3 wherein said connection means includes a second, flexible portion, attached to said first portion, said flexible portion providing detachable attachment means to the displacable closure means.

5. The device as defined in claim 4 including detachable connection means between said first and second portions. 7

6. The device as defined in claim 3 wherein said preenergized alarm means comprises a bell provided with a wind-up type of spring motor, said second trigger means being normally positioned to hold said bell in a normally wound-up condition.

7. The device as defined in claim 1 wherein said displacable closure means comprises a swinging door, and snap-on safety means mounted over a door knob, at the interior of the door said snap-on means being configurated to render it impossible to grasp and turn the door knob. 

1. An intruder repeller and burglar alarm device comprising in combination: A. a housing mounted relative to a displacable closure means controlling an access through which an intruder may gain unlawful entry to a premises; B. a pressurized gas cartridge, disposed in an interior chamber of said housing and including a discharge nozzle from a depressible cap, operable to discharge the pressurized gas in the cartridge; C. separate, self-energized audible alarm means fixed to said housing; D. a discharge tube, connected to said discharge nozzle, directed toward said access opening to spray an intruder with the contents of said cartridge when said swinging closure means is moved away from the access opening; E. a first trigger means, associated with said depressible cap; F. a second trigger means, associated with said audible alarm means; G. connecting means operatively connected between said first and second trigger means and the displacable closure means whereby said first trigger means is actuated to depress said cap to discharge the pressurized gas and said second trigger means is simultaneously actuated to sound said alarm means when said closure means is moved from a closed to an open position relative to the access opening.
 2. The device as defined in claim 1 wherein said first trigger means comprises a lever pivotally mounted at one end in a slot on said housing, over the depressible cap, including attachment means at a second end to a first portion of said connecting means, said lever including a downwardly extending projection, intermediate said ends, normally in operable position, relative to the top surface of said depressible cap whereby ''''opening'''' of the displacable closure pivots the lever and depresses the cap.
 3. The device as defined in claim 2 wherein said second trigger means comprises a pivotal lever, mounted in said housing, including a first end in releasable engagement with said self-energized alarm means, said pivotal lever including a second end in operable engagement with said first portion of the connection means.
 4. The device as defined in claim 3 wherein said connection means includes a second, flexible portion, attached to said first portion, said flexible portion providing detachable attachment means to the displacable closure means.
 5. The device as defined in claim 4 including detachable connection means between said first and second portions.
 6. The device as defined in claim 3 wherein said pre-energized alarm means comprises a bell provided with a wind-up type of spring motor, said second trigger means being normally positioned to hold said bell in a normally wound-up condition.
 7. The device as defined in claim 1 wherein said displacable closure means comprises a swinging door, and snap-on safety means mounted over a door knob, at the interior of the door said snap-on means being configurated to render it impossible to grasp and turn the door knob. 